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Seeing old friends...

OK, shall we start with the obvious? Luis Suarez is likely to be playing for Barcelona. So is Javier Mascherano.

And while that may provoke sadness in many – neither of those players have been anything like replaced, in terms of quality or mentality – it will also be nice for Liverpool fans to enjoy them, even if it is just for old times’ sake.

Suarez was given a hero’s welcome when he returned to Anfield to play in Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher’s charity match. His departure may have stung – it continues to sting, actually – but it isn’t held against him like, for example, Fernando Torres’ or Raheem Sterling’s.

Fans appreciate what a unique, wonderful talent he is, and the incredible memories he left during his three-and-a-half years at Anfield. The goals, the nutmegs, the fear, the imagination. He didn’t do it all himself, but at times it felt like it. What a footballer.

Mascherano, too, is remembered fondly. Plucked from West Ham, where he carried Hayden Mullins’ boots, the Argentine was an instant hit at Anfield. Manically determined, supremely fit and with quality in abundance, he was part of the ‘best midfield in the world’.

That he went to Barcelona and reinvented himself as a ball-playing centre back in one of the greatest teams of all time is testament to his class.

At 32, and with a new three-year deal in his back pocket, he remains one of the best around.

Seeing Messi...

Barcelona's Leo Messi and Liverpool's Alvaro Arbeloa in action at Anfield in 2007

You won’t be able to miss the greatest player in the world on Saturday – he is the greatest player in the world, don’t argue with me.

Messi’s bleach blonde locks may well be a mistake, but what a treat for supporters to get a glimpse of a living legend, even if it is only a fleeting one.

He was only a teenager when Liverpool last came across him back in 2007. And he made minimal impact across two legs as Rafa Benitez’s Reds pulled off a famous triumph.

A litmus test

There is no doubt that Liverpool’s name has suffered in recent years. Sure, the club remain a draw, they retain an incredible history and they have a world-renowned manager.

But in terms of being a genuine powerhouse, they have some serious, serious work to do.

Their return to the Champions League two seasons ago should have been the start of that work, but how wrong Brendan Rodgers got things. Their performance was risible, exemplified best by a white flag of a team selection in Madrid against Real. The Liverpool Way? Nope.

This may only be a pre-season game, but it is a chance to make a statement in terms of their approach and intensity, to show that they are willing not just to share pitches with the elite, but to challenge them and to attack them.

There will be 80,000 inside Wembley for this. It’s a friendly in name, but for the development of Jurgen Klopp and his team it means more.

So no Fabio Borinis this time, please.

Wembley

Fans start to arrive for the Capital One Cup Final Liverpool FC v Manchester City FC at Wembley Stadium. Peter Sankey from Dovecot

OK, so it’s a friendly. We get that.

But it’s still Wembley. And whether you like to admit or not, it’s still got an aura. The journey down – drive if you can, by the way, because the trains are a joke – the walk up to the stadium, the noise and the view once inside. It’s special.

Liverpool haven’t enjoyed their recent visits, in terms of the result. The FA Cup final of 2012, the semi final of 2015 and the League Cup final back in February all ended in disappointment. Barcelona have better memories, having won two European Cups at the stadium. They also battered Arsenal there in a Champions League group game a few years back.